Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 340

Whitney rolled her eyes in frustration and said, "Of course, I'm thrilled. All thanks to Bryce's legwork..." Bryce?

Ludwik's eyes darkened instantly, his patience wearing thin. "Bryce? You think he's qualified to help you?" "If not him running around, then who? You?" Whitney shot back with a cold gaze.

Ludwik was fuming.

Normally, he wasn't one to seek recognition, but this woman had a knack for driving him to the edge.

He loomed over her with a chilling sneer, "Do you think anyone in Banyan City has the clout to get a criminal released on the spot? Bryce is nothing but a speck of dust in the high court. You naïve fool!"

If it hadn't been for her tears and Keegan's undeniable innocence, he wouldn't have bothered showing a shred of compassion.

After all, his mother was still bedridden, a living ghost...

Whitney was momentarily taken aback, disbelief etched on her face. Did he intervene on her behalf?

Satisfied with her reaction, Ludwik's eyes narrowed slightly, his lips curling into a proud, cold smirk. "Ever wondered why Parker suddenly changed his mind and helped you find Jaxon's daughter?" Whitney paused, recalling Parker mentioning someone wanted to help her.

She had assumed it was Tiana who had convinced Parker...

So, it wasn't her after all.

Her fingers clenched slightly, realizing she hadn't considered the possibility that Ludwik had given Parker the nod.

But wasn't he on Elaine's side?

Reading her mind, Ludwik's lips thinned, his expression turning grim. "I'm not as morally blind as you think. I wasn't familiar with Keegan's case; I thought Jaxon was merely a witness. If you needed to find his illegitimate daughter to ensure a fair trial, I was willing to assist. Little did I know, the Bartels family was the real culprit behind it all..."

Whitney suppressed the turmoil in her heart, her tone icy. "So, Mr. Lippert, you mean to say you had no idea the Bartels family were the murderers, hence your fairness. Had you known beforehand, I wonder if you would've been so just, considering your ties to Elaine." "Are you deliberately twisting my words?" He hadn't been partial to Elaine! And yet, no word of thanks.

"Ungrateful much? Perhaps

cold, her tone laced with sarcasm. "Your intervention wasn't meddling; it was merely not contributing to the tyranny. Have you ever stopped to think why the mighty Bartels Group, Zane included, would go to such lengths to have my uncle killed in

the case bizarre. It was clear in court that the Bartels family, one of the top families in Emperor City, had no apparent reason to target Keegan, a

he confronted Elaine, she claimed

turned into a cold laugh. "Your beloved Elaine and the Bartels family have a vendetta against my uncle's family, the Tennysons! That's why Zane was in a hurry to silence my uncle, to eradicate the Tennysons. The Bartels family had wronged the Tennysons years ago,

face darkened at

Bartels Group, and Keegan had

years ago, which had turned him and Whitney into sworn enemies, was actually a misdirected vendetta against the real

felt a chill towards the Bartels family, his

"To target a disabled man, Ludwik, do you still believe the Bartels Group and

history in Emperor City. Sure, Whitney's narrative was to be taken with a grain of

And Elaine...

was time to reassess his opinion of her. She

doubts arose during an incident involving bullying

lack of empathy towards a non-biological child as a human flaw,

Growing up in such a family, could Elaine truly be as pure as he

her eyes clear

she had treated Danny earlier that night, he thought she might have made a wonderful mother had she been the

thought, and Whitney wasn't as malicious as he had concluded three

briefly lingered before he shifted away, dialing Felix. "The Keegan case, if the police uncover any motive linked

his jawline casting a sharp shadow in the night. He didn't fully believe her

of doubt would sprout between him and Elaine. It was a start,

gaze as

her silence

in her way like a mountain, lounging with a cigarette in one hand, leaning against the railing. Was he really that bored

her face. "Let's get back to the topic. I helped you with the case, got no thanks, and instead

Whitney was speechless.

was his Elaine who caused the mess, and now he wanted credit for